Defender to ride white horse, save Villa from injury crisis for Man United clash

When it broke yesterday that Jores Okore had, well, broken, it seemed as if Aston Villa would only have one healthy centre back for this weekend's match at Old Trafford against Manchester United. The options for filling in the slot next to Ciaran Clark were limited at best and nothing seemed to be a good fit. But never fear, for erstwhile club captain Ron Vlaar will ride in on his white horse and save Aston Villa from their injury crisis.

The Dutch defender has declared himself fit for Saturday's clash, and if he can actually get through an entire match, his pairing with Clark should bump us from "oh god everything is terrible" to "oh wow, that's actually a pretty great pairing." While the duo of Okore and Clark have been great this season, the former is a bit prone to the mistakes that come with youth. Vlaar, stupid red card against Stoke notwithstanding, tends to keep a cooler head and might actually be a better option in the pressure of Old Trafford.

So hooray for an end to that crisis. And in case you were wondering, this is what our captain looks like riding in on his magnificent steed, Calfstain: